There are a range of different ways to get involved. Involvement may be a one-off activity or you may wish to get involved for a longer period of time. This may be at a local level, for example in a Health and Social Care Trust or at a regional level with the Public Health Agency or another regional HSC organisation.

To support Involvement work, the Public Health Agency (PHA) has engaged with service user and carer representatives to set up a bursary scheme to support service users and carers involved in strategic programmes of work with Health and Social Care (HSC). The scheme aims to help develop your knowledge and skills for participation in Involvement work.

To find out more about the 2019/20 scheme which is currently for applications, click here.

HSC Guidance on Reimbursement of Out of Pocket expenses

Services users and carers will be reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses when engaging in Involvement work with HSC organisations. These are costs associated with travel, caring responsibilities and subsistence. This guidance sets out what can and cannot be claimed for.

Please note – the ‘Interim Service User, Carer and Stakeholder Reimbursement Guidelines and Procedures for Health and Social Care Organisations’ is currently being revised and will be made available in due course.

Service users and carers should continue to use this claim form and send their claims to the relevant HSC staff member who invited them to participate in the Involvement event/work. The HSC staff member will send your claim form to the appropriate email address in the BSO Payments Team.

There are also further guides to explain the Reimbursement process here: